Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 - Part One - The Songs

 Bonsoir & welcome to the 2023 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. We have returned to France, courtesy of Lissandro's win last year in Yerevan, although this time we are the in the French Riviera and in Nice. As they say, a little sunshine goes a long way! This is Frances second time hosting, you'll remember they hosted in Paris in 2021. This edition see 16 Participants, we have Germany returning, and Estonia making a debut this year, while Serbia & Kazakhstan are sitting this one out. I was surprised by both, Serbia is one of my favourites countries in JESC, whereas Kazakhstan has had a run of impressive results. Perhaps it's just a break for a year, hopefully they will both return. But, 16 nations are going to be hoping they take home the JESC trophy tonight, and I will also be adding my scores to the leaderboard, so watch out and see if winner might change! But with all that in mind, let's begin the show!  

We start with a video of Lissandro, telling us he had super powers. I mean he did win, so maybe it's true! It's a fun little opening video, and provides us with our tagline of "Heros". We rejoin him on stage, with other entrants performing the song "Heros". I love when we get the participants doing this, it's a great way to hear something different from them. But then the flag parade begins, with "Makeba" playing in the background, that viral hit that seemed to appear out of nowhere. This might be one of the speediest flag parades I've ever seen, bish, bash, bosh. Now you see them, now you don't.  We then get Florence François, who has one of the most impressive voices I've ever heard. Fantastic.

We then are introduced to our hosts, Actress & Model Laury Thilleman, Television & JESC 2021 host Olivier Minner, with Ophenya, a French influencer. (She doesn't have her own Wikipedia page yet so I can't tell you anything more than that!). I think Laury has been designated as our responsible driver & French speaker for the evening. So far the best dressed is Laury, in this fantastic asymmetric jumpsuit in pale pink with a gorgeous frill running across. Ophenya begs us to use the hashtag #JESC2023. There you go love, I've used it. They announce the running order, and it's time to begin!

The postcards are fun, we see French children struggling with an activity, before the contestant helps them in some way achieve a goal. It's a fun concept we've not really seen before, and I love how the postcard creates the flag of the next country to perform, the Ukrainian one is particularly good

But starting the show is Spain. This is Sandra Velero performing "Loviu". She's giving me Amelia Earhart vibes with the outfit. The concept & staging is brilliant, the little details with the suitcases matching the colour of the laces in the boots, the explorer age of air flight themed the visual background. Sandra performs it well, but it's a song that feels a little lacking, I feel like it maybe needed to create a quieter moment to create a bit of rise and fall. But not a bad first song. 

Yulan is performing "Stronger" for Malta this year, it's a captivating start, a flicker of light, then her appearing alone on stage on a stool. It gives a really personal and intimate feeling to the performance, especially as the song & vocals start to develop. The video of her singing behind her on the background screen has been done before, but it's done well, and the song almost a jazzy, feel to it as we move into the chorus's. She's performing well, and the song is nice, think it will do better with the juries than the televote.

Next up is Ukraine, and we have Anastasia Dymyd performing "Kvitka". There's a beautiful Ukrainian sounding opening, before "Kvitka" launches, and it's certainly a bop. It's a carefully crafted sound, with both childlike & adult sounding elements blended together really well. And it's catchy, I'm going to have this stuck in my head all day, I can just feel it. She's got a great voice, and really belts out in the bit before the final chorus. Fantastic entry.

Ireland is performing next, and it's Jessica Mckean who is singing "Aisling". If you're wondering who else has appeared, it's Sophie Lennon, who represented Ireland last year in Yerevan with the song "Solas" and came in 4th place, Ireland's highest so far. I'm not going to lie, I'm not really feeling this song, it's dreary, and it's only when Sophie comes in that it picks up, and interestingly, seems to try to outperform Jessica. The two don't seem to vibe or harmonise together, I think this needed a little bit more of a think about. 

Laury & Olivier are on the main stage, we give a round of applause for everyone, before heading to Ophenya in the green room. Sandra from Spain says she loves her new friends, and her musical hero is Queen. We then chat to Yulan from Malta, who tells us a hero is someone very special and who finds the strength in their weakest moments. She's got the pageant answers written out. Ophenya is not a natural host, it's feeling a bit stilted. The camera angles are all a bit weird for this bit, there's lots of wide shots of the audience with crew scrambling about in the green room.

Anyway, my home country of the United Kingdom is up next. We have Stand Uniqu3 performing "Back to life". The staging is fantastic, whoever came up with the concept of them performing on the top of the skyscraper was a genius. The song is fantastically catchy, although vocally, it's a little on the cautious side, and feels little quiet. The chorus is great, and they harmonise well, but it's the choreography that really sells this song. It's fantastic, and aimed brilliantly at everyone to try and recreate it. Maybe it was nerves, because towards the end, the vocals are improving. Could have done with a punchier ending, but I actually really liked it. Why does the BBC seem to have a better creative team for JESC and not ESC? Answers on a postcard please!

Macedonia is up next, and we have Tamara Grujeska with the song "Kaži mi, kaži mi koj". (And yes, I did copy and paste that!). The opening is nice, but vocally seemed a little off. She starts singing better with the structure of the song comes in. It's quite an interesting song, with some Macedonian rhythms running in the background at times. The backing visuals of the trees with pink leaves/flowers are beautiful. Overall, it's a nice entry, and I quite like it.

Newcomes Estonia are next, the song is "Hoiame kokku" performed by Arhanna. First thing I will say, it's nice to hear a song in Estonian, we don't hear them often enough.  The song itself is a little slow, but the backing vocals help to elevate it somewhat. All I will say, is what on earth has someone made her wear, the shirt collars on the shoulders looks terrible. We finish the song, and I'm left wanting a little more. 

Back to Laury & Olivier on the main stage, who say something, I don't know, I'm not really heeding them much attention. Ophenya then gets to chat to the girls from the UK who are in tears when one of them expresses how much they get on and like each other which is really sweet. Ophenya's hosting is so lackluster and it feels like she's just reading the autocue without any thought behind it.We then chat to Anastasia from Ukraine who's favourite moment was when she won the national final as she didnt expect to win. Tamara from Macedonia tells us she wanted to become and artist because she loves to perform. Could we please have someone with a bit more hosting quality in the green room, is that possible?

JESC powerhouse Armenia is up next, and we have Yan Girls performing "Do it my way". The lyrics are written by JESC 2021 winner Malena, who incidentally won in France in 2021. Will it happen again for Armenia? It's got an almost hip-hop sort of vibe to it, and they harmonise beautifully and the performance is very well choreographed to. I'm loving the lyric of "I'm too cool to be a fool so don't mess with me". The song really builds up the energy and momentum in the second half, and particularly the final 30 seconds. It's rather exhilarating! This is going to do very well! Could we have a battle of the girl bands with the UK?

Fellow JESC heavyweight Poland is next, and we have Maja Krzyzewska with the song "I just need a friend". Don't we all love? It's a beautifully crafted song, with a very catchy ooh ooh bit in the chorus, and the song continues to build in both tempo and performance throughout. This was really nicely done, and Maja performs fantastically. I find both Poland & Georgia interesting, because they are both incredibly successful in JESC, yet hardly make an appearance in the top 10 in the ESC. Maybe the creative teams for JESC need to work on the main contest? Just a thought. 

On the subject of Georgia, they are up next. We have Anastasia & Ranina with the song "Over the sky". It's a ballad, and it's a bit slow, and there's times where I think they are trying to harmonise, but it doesn't quite fully work. Quite what the two backing dancers with giant fans have to do with anything, I don't know. It's very forgettable, and a bit of a swing & miss for me personally.

I haven't been to Nice, so I can't even share any pictures or anything to break up the reviews a bit. But Portugal's postcard involves painting, so please enjoy this picture of me with my painting from a couple of years ago in Paris.

Anyway, as I said Portugal is next, and we have Julia Machado, and she is performing "Where I belong". I will just say, I think her make up artist was a bit heavy on the eye shadow, but at least it matches the lilac dress. She performs the song beautifully, starting on the floor, before moving upwards as the song progresses. She then starts to rip pieces of the dress, as we enter the finale of the song. It's a little dreary, and I'm going to do my usual prediction that it will do better with the juries.

Olivier & Laury are back on the main stage, who advise us to use the #JESC2023 hashtag. There we go, I've done it! Disappointingly, Ophenya is still in the greenroom, and ready to attempt to interview again. She chats to Arhanna from Estonia, after focussing on the autocue. Maja from Poland explains her friends & family are her heros. I find it a weird place to have the green room, at an angle from the stage. Everytime we get a wide shot, all we can see is a half empty green room.

Hosts France are up next, and will be wanting to repeat their success last year. France is a success story of JESC, after initially competing in the first one, they then withdrew, returning fourteen years later. They have never finished lower than 6th, which is an incredible feat. This year they are represented by Zoé Clauzure with the song "Cœur". It starts in true Eurovision fashion, seated a giant pink heart shaped piano, but the track quickly shifts into something more upbeat. The lighting beautifully frames the stage from above. It's very catchy, and after the first chorus, I'm joining in with the aye aye ayes! Zoe performs beautifully, and the song really ends on a high note. Literally. Brilliantly done, and one to watch out for.

"Bota Ime" is the Albanian entry this year, performed by Viola Gjyzeli. I keep thinking I got that spelt wrong, but I've just realised it's because on the screen everything is in capitals and it's confusing me. On a slight side note before I review the song, the on screen graphic design is fantastic, with the clouds of colour and glitter spreading across the screen in the nations national colours. Aside from the green room, the design of the contest this year has been at a very high standard. Thankyou France! Anyway, you didn't actually need me to tell you this is Albania, because you can just tell from the opening it's Albania. Once it gets going, it's actually quite a catchy song, and is performed really well, especially that final long note, it was captivating.

In an amusingly stereotypical way, the Italian postcard is all about pizza! Did your diversity & inclusion team approve this? Anyway, we have Melissa & Ranya who are performing "Un Mondo Guisto". Italy won on their first attempt at JESC, but recently have been stuck in a bit of a rut with being very mid table for the last couple of years. I'm sure Melissa & Ranya will try to change that. Staging wise, we start with one on a bed, the other at a piano. They have very contrasting voices, which at some points really works, other points not quite as much. They may just win the worst dressed award this year though, I've got no idea what the wardrobe team were quite thinking with this one. And in a blink and you'll miss it moment, the piano & bed disappear as the song ramps up. I think I like it, but I think it's one of those songs that sometimes I will like, and sometimes I won't depending on mood.

Returning Germany are next, and we have "Ohne Worte" performed by Fia. The song has this vibe that I can't put my finger on, almost like a 90's feel to it. It's giving me a feeling of "Sleeping Satellite" by Tasmin Archer, anyone else feeling that? It's such a good song though (both of them are to be fair) it's catchy, performed really well, and I love the fact she is using sign language throughout to make it inclusive. The high note was a bit half baked, and the dance break a little clumpy, but the song is fantastic. I just can't decide if it's a winner or if it will come last. 

Our last act tonight is The Netherlands, and we have Sep & Jasmijn with the song "Holding on to you". We've got a DJ & deck on stage. Well this could go one of two ways! And yes, it goes down the slightly cheesy route. Also, surely these two are too old to participate? They cannot be 15. What do they feed kids in the Netherlands? Lots of cheese or something? I probably should have given some sort of strobe lighting warning before we started watching it. I'm just not really feeling this, I feel like I'm back at my school disco alone in the corner and not in a good way. 

Back to the main stage with another plug for the hashtag which I'm not going to put again. Ophenya is still butchering the interviews in the greenroom. Julia from Portugal is proud to represent her country & the Portuguese community across the world. We then chat to Zoé from France, of course in French and then English. Olivier & Laury are then playing for time but telling us what we already know. Another plug for the hashtag, before we open the phone lines. Finally! 

But that means we have seen all sixteen performances! Who was your favourites? Let me know in the comments! And join me in part two, where I will be reviewing the rest of the show, as well as giving my points. Will it change the leaderboard? I guess we will have to see. Watch this space...et au revoir!